Page 39 of You Make Me Feel

After zipping up my bag, I glanced at myself in the mirror. I’d gotten my locs put in, and it was so much easier to deal with right now. They would last for a month or two. I would have to make sure I had them in my hair when I got closer to my due date. They were hassle free. I grabbed my bag and heard Oliver say, “You know better.”

I dropped the handle as I stared at him. He walked closer to me and reached around me to grab the bag. “You need to be reminded of the role I play?”

I shook my head, then frowned slightly and began nodding. He laughed at my foolishness. His lessons were always pleasurable. I’d learn one whenever he felt like teaching. When we stopped laughing, I said, “Thank you, baby. I can’t wait to be out on the town with you.”

“I can’t wait to have a woman as beautiful as you on my arm this weekend.”

After kissing my head, he left the room with my duffle bag. I took a deep breath and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. My previous thoughts were correct.Life couldn’t get any better than this.

Chapter 14

Oliver

When we got to Houston, I was beyond excited to spend time with Kinisha, away from everything. No jobs, no family, just us. It wasn’t that her family was a bother. I just enjoyed our alone time together. It seemed since she’d told them of her pregnancy, that alone time had dwindled some. I knew they were excited and wanted to ensure she was okay. Her support system was intact, though, that was for sure.

I knew if there ever came a time that I couldn’t be there for her, she wouldn’t be short on people who would be. I just hoped there wouldn’t be any problems with Jarod. That nigga didn’t know what was good for him. If he did, he wouldn’t even think about calling her. He didn’t realize that I could make so much shit go wrong in his life without touching him. His best bet was to stay as far away from Kinisha as possible.

We went to my place before heading to the Toyota Center to put our luggage down and ended up getting a quickie in. I swore Kinisha Nicole Jordan was insatiable. That worked out fine since I was that way when it concerned her too. I wasn’t sure if she was only that way with me or if she was naturally that way. Whatever the case, I was happy to benefit from it.

After getting to the Toyota Center, she was in awe of everyone in attendance. She’d never been to All-Star Weekend. I had to let her know that she was in for a treat. Watching it on TV didn’t compare to witnessing it in person. This would be the fourth time I’d attended. She wasn’t really a sports fan, but she watched occasionally, and she said she always watched All-Star Weekend festivities.

When we went inside, we headed straight to the concessions to get something to eat. We hadn’t eaten dinner, and my stomach was telling me so. I was pretty sure Kinisha’s stomach was ready to fight her as well. As we waited for our hot dogs, I wrapped my arms around her, gently rubbing her pooch. While her stomach wasn’t completely flat, I could see it starting to round out a bit. She was twelve weeks now, and although we had a long way to go, I was happy about the small progress.

I’d signed up for a baby app that gave weekly updates on the baby’s size and development. I knew that he or she was about the size of a plum and fully formed, having all its muscles, bones, organs, and limbs. Every week was getting more and more exciting. It would fill me with immeasurable joy when I could finally feel the baby kicking.

She rested her head on me . . . until the worker called my name. When I looked up and saw Mya holding our hot dogs, I got nervous as hell. “Hi, Oliver. How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?” I asked as I glanced over at Kinisha. “This is my girlfriend, Kinisha. Baby, this is Mya.”

Kinisha’s eyebrows rose slightly, and her lips parted like she was about to have words for Mya. Instead, she smiled slightly and said, “Nice to meet you.”

Mya gave her a slight smile and nodded, then handed me our hot dogs. The look she gave me put my nerves on edge. There was no way I would eat that hot dog. When we walked away, I threw that shit in the trash. Kinisha was just about to take a bite of hers, but I took it and threw that shit in the trash too. I swore she was about to swing on me.

“I’m sorry, baby. I don’t trust that shit. She looked weird like she looked that day at the Turkey Leg Hut and the office. For all I know, she could have sprinkled poison on that shit.”

“Well, you need to find another place to get hot dogs before I take a bite of your arm. I’m hungry as hell, Oliver.”

“I know. Come on. Let’s get in this line.”

“Ugh. It’s long. Let’s get something else for right now.”

I followed Kinisha to another stand to get nachos. We stood in line for about ten minutes before heading inside the arena. She was eating them all the way to our seats. That tray was nearly empty by the time we sat. “Damn, baby. You inhaled that shit.”

She gave me the side-eye, then dragged her finger through the excess cheese and brought it to her mouth. “Your li’l ex-employee gon’ catch these hands for fucking with my food.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “I don’t know for sure if she did, but I wanted to be safe, just in case. If she hurt you or our baby, I’d take her ass out.”

She glanced up at me as I stared at her with a serious expression on my face, letting her know I meant business. Kinisha said something, but I didn’t hear a word she said because I noticed Mya heading our way. “Shit,” I said.

Kinisha frowned and followed my line of vision. When she saw Mya, she said, “See, this ho gon’ be a fucking problem.”

When Mya approached, she asked, “Can I speak to you privately?”

“Naw. Say what you have to say.”

“She’s not as pretty as me. What do you see in her that you couldn’t see in me?”

Kinisha rose from her seat, and I immediately stood and maneuvered between them. Her fists were balled up, and the frown on her face said she was about to fuck Mya all the way up. “Listen, Mya. You need to carry your ass on back to your job. I’m tempted to file harassment charges on your ass, along with a restraining order. Go take your meds and find you something safe to play with.”

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